Barbara Giza ( pl, Barbara Gizanka; c. 1550 – May 1589), was a mistress of King

Sigismund II Augustus Sigismund II Augustus ( pl, Zygmunt II August, lt, Žygimantas Augustas; 1 August 1520 – 7 July 1572) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548. He was the first ruler ...

of Poland during 1570–72. She was a daughter of a

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

burgher Burgher may refer to: * Burgher (social class), a medieval, early modern European title of a citizen of a town, and a social class from which city officials could be drawn ** Burgess (title), a resident of a burgh in northern Britain ** Grand Burg ...

Jan Giza, a merchant and

usurer Usury () is the practice of making unethical or immoral monetary loans that unfairly enrich the lender. The term may be used in a moral sense—condemning taking advantage of others' misfortunes—or in a legal sense, where an interest rate is ch ...

, and his wife Anna, whose origins are unknown. Barbara was a Protestant, and she is sometimes given credit for influencing the King towards religious tolerance of Protestants. Near the end of King Sigismund II Augustus' life, after the death of his wife, he expressed a desire to marry Barbara with the hope of producing an heir. However, he died before a marriage could take place.

Life

According to tradition, she was born in a tenement house at 5 Świętojańska Street in a

patrician family from

Franconia Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch''). The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper Fr ...

. She had a sister who was married to Krzysztof Szawłowski. She grew up in a convent of Bernardine nuns outside Warsaw. Young Barbara was met by the royal servant, Mikołaj Mniszech. The Jewish merchant Egidius made his visits to Gizanka easier. Mniszech visited Barbara in the guise of a nun. The circumstances in which Barbara met the King are unknown. Probably Mniszech family used the girl's physical resemblance to the late Queen

Barbara Radziwiłł Barbara Radziwiłł ( pl, Barbara Radziwiłłówna, lt, Barbora Radvilaitė; 6 December 1520/23 – 8 May 1551) was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania as consort of Sigismund II Augustus, the last male monarch of the Jagiellon dynas ...

to gain influence over the King. Most likely, Barbara met Sigismund II Augustus at the end of 1570, but according to an investigation carried out after the King's death, Barbara was brought to the king on 6 January 1571. Their relationship attracted considerable attention and was regarded as a scandal. Eight months later, on 8 September 1571, she gave birth to a daughter, Barbara. The nobility didn't believe in the King's paternity, but Sigismund II Augustus didn't pay attention to the voices of the opposing court. After her daughter was born, Barbara became the King's constant companion. He awarded her with 20,000 złoty and arranged a palace for her in Bronów. Moreover, despite his relationship with Barbara, Sigismund II Augustus also continued his affair with Anna Zajączkowska, who was staying in Witów. Thanks to Barbara's intercession, the Vice-Chancellor Franciszek Krasiński obtained the position of the

Bishop of Kraków A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

, and the Grand Crown Marshal

Jan Firlej Jan Firlej (c. 1521, Dąbrowica, Lublin County – 1574, Kock) was a Polish nobleman (szlachcic), and Calvinist activist. Jan became Great Marshal of the Crown in 1563 and starost of Kraków in 1572. He agreed with the candidature of Henryk ...

secured his position of

Voivode of Kraków Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the me ...

. After the death of the Queen Catherine of Austria in February 1572, rumors circulated that Sigismund II Augustus wanted to marry Barbara. In June 1572, Barbara left with her lover to

Knyszyn Knyszyn ( be, Кнышин, yi, קנישין, translit=Knishin, lt, Knišinas) is a town in north-eastern Poland, northwest of Białystok. It is situated in the Podlaskie Voivodeship (since 1999), and was formerly in the Białystok Voivodeship ...

, where on 7 July the King died aged 51. Before 14 July 1573, Barbara Giza married the prince of Volhynia, Michał Woroniecki, Prince of

Volhynia Volhynia (also spelled Volynia) ( ; uk, Воли́нь, Volyn' pl, Wołyń, russian: Волы́нь, Volýnʹ, ), is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between south-eastern Poland, south-western Belarus, and western Ukraine. Th ...

, who legally recognized her daughter. Six children were born from this marriage: Mikołaj (died after 1601), Stefan (a priest; died after 1614), Jakub (died after 1621), Florian Tomasz (a Dominican friar in Warsaw; born 1586, died after 5 June 1615), Katarzyna (wife of Jakub Pilchowski; died after 1592) and Anna (wife of Jan Kosiński; died after 1614).

References

Bibliography

* Rudzki E., ''Polskie królowe'', t. 2, wyd. 2, Instytut Prasy i Wydawnictw Novum, Warsaw 1990, pp. 265–266. * Boniecki, Adam, ''Poczet rodów w Wielkiém Księstwie Litewskiém w XV i XVI wieku'', rint:J. Berger, Warsaw 1887, pp. 387–388.
online
* Szenic, Stanisław, ''Królewskie kariery warszawianek'', Iskry, Warsaw 1959, s. 5–47. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gizanka, Barbara Mistresses of Sigismund II Augustus 16th-century Polish women 1550s births 1589 deaths 16th-century Polish people